ZnO nanorods inserted graphene sheets with improved supercapacitive performance

In this paper, we demonstrate a facile one-pot approach for the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide-ZnO (Gr-ZnO) hybrids. Structural analysis revealed a homogeneous distribution of ZnO nanorods are inserted in graphene nanosheets, formed a sandwiched architecture. The Gr-ZnO material demonstrates superior electrochemical performance with high specific capacitance (140 F g(-1) even at the scan rate of 500 mV s(-1)) and long-term cycle stability (94% capacitance retention over 2000 cycles). The improved supercapacitance property of these materials could be ascribed to the increased the specific surface of graphene sheets by ZnO nanorods inserted. These results demonstrate the potential of the Gr-ZnO hybrid nanocomposites as an electrode in high-performance supercapacitors. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.